Dormant IFSD office proposal springs back to life
October 18 2011
SMC Parr (since subsumed by Archial) had initially proposed a tower solution for Marlebone Developments way back in October 2007 but ran into difficulties with planning and the inclement economic weather.
Now though the scheme has been unexpectedly resuscitated from the dead – this time with Thomson Architects taking the helm.
Over the intervening four years discussions have continued to take place with the Council to address “concerns” raised in relation to the design of Parr’s scheme, culminating in revised plans being drawn up in consultation with property specialists Savills.
Thomson have revised the scheme down in scale to propose a block £30m incorporating 250,000sq/ft of grade A office space, 25 apartments and 20,000sq/ft of retail space.
The building is proposed to vary in height from 52.86m to 66m (17 storeys) - the previous Parr scheme rose to 114m by comparison.
Large apertures would have been punched into the facades of this superceded scheme to provide visual links out from within
Parr’s office tower would have been clad in two tone sandstone and incorporate a dramatic central atrium animated by a series of glass lifts, passing a series of coulourful suspended meeting ‘pods’.
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8 Comments
#1 Posted by Brian on 18 Oct 2011 at 22:15 PM
B L A N D
#2 Posted by Auntie Nairn on 19 Oct 2011 at 13:48 PM
@Brian - agreed. At least the Parr schem was trying something a bit bifferent.
#3 Posted by scunnered on 19 Oct 2011 at 14:01 PM
typical planning fright, here was something dramatic and challenging from parr, and rather than engage in the debate, they dug out their lets not upset people hats!
#4 Posted by rankbadyin on 19 Oct 2011 at 14:54 PM
which Thomson Architects?
#5 Posted by tallguy on 19 Oct 2011 at 19:12 PM
Parr scheme looks just like that tower in Liverpool
#6 Posted by Jimbo on 21 Oct 2011 at 10:19 AM
Thank goodness – that first scheme is an optical illusion!! Looks like how I imagine London in Brave New World – brutal. And ‘visual links out from within’?!? You mean a big window?
#7 Posted by "El" on 21 Oct 2011 at 14:00 PM
Not saying the original scheme is fantastic, but why are Scottish Planning officers so scared of approving anything which even slightly different from the norm.
It has got to the point where architects are too scared to even consider proposing a building of merit because it would cost them too much of their fees by the time it has been rebuffed by planning.
I'm not saying everything has to be a Stirling Prize contender but it would be nice to have something slightly different built in Scotland.
I haven’t bought Architecture Now for a while but I can't remember many Scottish buildings being in it.
It has got to the point where architects are too scared to even consider proposing a building of merit because it would cost them too much of their fees by the time it has been rebuffed by planning.
I'm not saying everything has to be a Stirling Prize contender but it would be nice to have something slightly different built in Scotland.
I haven’t bought Architecture Now for a while but I can't remember many Scottish buildings being in it.
#8 Posted by toad of toad hall on 21 Oct 2011 at 22:17 PM
Too right el. If u have to put a helicopter in your image there is something seriously wrong with the architecture.
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